If I need to make a right turn and I'm stuck in traffic I will run up the side between the cars and the curb and then turn right. No one seems to care at all about this especially if I put on my signal to let cars know I'll be turning right. Tonight I tried full on filtering past about a dozen or so cars stopped cars and still no one seemed to care. They probably didn't even realize what was happening to be honest

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That's legal even for cars here, if there is room and no fog line, some intersections have the fog line go to dashes within say 200 feet of the corner to encourage the practice.

ironically, last night when I was riding home on the Speed Triple the traffic was very heavy and I was lane splitting down city streets to get home. About 50% of the cars on the street moved over to let me pass, and I thanked every single car that moved for me.

That's legal even for cars here, if there is room and no fog line, some intersections have the fog line go to dashes within say 200 feet of the corner to encourage the practice.

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Same here in Oz. The thing is that here you can only have one vehicle in any one directional flow. So without markings you could have one right, one left and one going straight ahead. Vehicles can not share the same lane in the same direction unless they are both motocycles.

It doesn't stop people filtering and some police accept it if done safely but a great majority simply issue infringement notices.

The safety vs freedom falls under the "the right to swing your fist ends at the tip of my nose". A fail at filtering/splitting is highly unlikely to cause injury or death to others, so "safety" isn't a real issue unless you believe people need to be protected from themselves.

Filtering/splitting is nothing more than using a smaller, more efficient vehicle to its best advantage, all the "safety" arguments for and against are just smoke and mirrors.

Traffic laws are like the weather, road conditions, traffic, and everything else that makes up your riding environment, You need to learn how to deal with the conditions of your riding environment as they really are, not how you wish they would be.

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Luckily, of all the conditions traffic laws are by far the least influencing one when it comes to motorcycling.

Here in TX it's illegal to split lanes in moving traffic, so my question is not in regards to legality but safety. Is it ok to filter thru when reaching an intersection to be in front and not trapped in between cars (who are checking Facebook, answering calls and returning txts)? I've been riding for 20 or so yrs -sport bikes- this is my first Dual sport and I've noticed a different attitude towards me without me changing any of my riding habits. I would like to keep that going .Just don't feel like getting plowed from my 6 or cut into while waiting for a light to turn in exchange. Then again, I am enjoying this new "friendly" attitude towards me and the bike I ride.
So what's your call? yes: get to the front ( piss cagers off), or no: wait in line (just don't get killed).
Cheers

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I split here in TX when I feel the need, fuck the traffic and fuck the BS tickets.

I have passed a cop a time or two going down 35 from Denton to Downtown Ft. Worth. Did not even phase them. One, how are they going to catch you? They are stuck in traffic.

Anyone that has rode with me can vouch I think that way. I am not right, I know that, but I can use the "safety" excuse to get away with it.
People here will TRY to cut you off (happens about one out of every 1,000 cars I pass), honk the horn and give you the single finger salute. I laugh knowing they are pissed they are still stuck in traffic. I even consider my I-45, highway speed (read 10 to 15 over) lane splitting behind 3 asshats all going the same speed and all 3 lanes blocked, I call it a public service. Why?
Because one of the idiots slows the fuck down thinking I am running from the cops, thus leaving a gap for other motorist to make thier way around the 3 stooges. Now at this time traffic is becoming unclogged and returning to normal. My job is done here.

all the "safety" arguments for and against are just smoke and mirrors.

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Let me tell you about the time I was slabbing home on 580 eastbound in the #1 lane just west of Pleasanton. Well, there is typically a huge backup in that area, going from 4 or 5 lanes doing 80mph to 4 or 5 lanes doing 5mph. There was a driver trailing behind me a bit that got my attention and sure enough PLOWED into the back of the vehicle that I was behind a split second before.

It was because I am comfortable in the space between cars that I'm here today, and for no other reason.

Let me tell you about the time I was slabbing home on 580 eastbound in the #1 lane just west of Pleasanton. Well, there is typically a huge backup in that area, going from 4 or 5 lanes doing 80mph to 4 or 5 lanes doing 5mph. There was a driver trailing behind me a bit that got my attention and sure enough PLOWED into the back of the vehicle that I was behind a split second before.

It was because I am comfortable in the space between cars that I'm here today, and for no other reason.

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And in a panic situation we typically revert to our training.

So training to be comfortable in the gaps between cars is a better plan than not training and just improvising.